It’s not just diet and exercise—where people live matters to their health.

And in California, Santa Cruz County earns a decent rating for community health, according to the 2013 County Health Rankings released this week.

Santa Cruz comes in No. 13 in the state for health outcomes, measured by mortality and morbidity. The county ranks 10th for health factors, a broad category that includes health behaviors (like smoking), healthcare, the physical environment, and social and economic factors.

“These ratings are a snapshot of the health of the community,” said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, Santa Cruz County Health Officer.

Fifty-seven of California’s 58 counties were ranked. Rural Alpine County was too small to measure in many of the categories, officials said.

Santa Cruz has earned better ratings in prior years. Officials attributed the decline in rankings to other counties’ improving health, not worsening conditions in Santa Cruz County.

Some highlights from the report:

The county saw improvement in the number of adult residents who have graduated from high school, which up to 86 percent at last count. The low in the past four years was 77 percent.

Santa Cruz County ranked 16th in the state for access to recreational facilities.

The county’s motor vehicle crash death rate is the 9th lowest in California.

But 19 percent of children in the county live in poverty, and the ratio of physicians to patients climbed, from one doctor per 923 patients in 2012 to one per 1,047 this year.

Check out Santa Cruz County’s rankings in various categories over the past four years below. A lower rating is better.

Santa Cruz County Health Rankings

2010

2011

2012

2013

Health Outcomes (total)

8

7

10

13

Morality

6

7

10

10

Morbidity

7

7

13

20

Health Factors (total)

8

20

10

10

Health Behaviors

2

1

3

4

Clinical Care

19

24

13

12

Social & Economic Factors

13

17

23

21

Physical Environment

37

5

10

9

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program began in 2010 as a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is important to work with a professional in this area. Additional questions? Ask us, we’re here to help!For additional information about our insurance products, no-cost advice or for your free, no-obligation insurance quote, please contact the professionals at Scurich Insurance Services today at 800-320-3666 and we will be more than happy to assist you.

This story was taken form www.watsonville.patch.com and was written by Jennifer Squires. Scurich Insurance did not create this content–we just wanted to share it with you!

Engineers, firefighters, lawyers, teachers, and police officers all have one thing in common: they qualify for Auto insurance discounts with some insurers who have found that people in certain fields tend to be less risky drivers than those in other occupations.

A number of insurance companies offer discounts to those in a variety of professions everything from architects, CPAs, and college professors through librarians, military personnel, and pilots, to physicians, registered nurses, and scientists.

Here’s why: although practicing architecture or flying a plane doesn’t necessarily make a driver more responsible, insurance underwriters don’t have to prove cause and effect when setting rates. They need only show a relationship between these rating factors and risk.

A variety of factors can come into play in determining discounts. One Auto insurance company offers up to a 5 % discount to first responders, such as firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Because these people tend to work in the communities where they live, they probably don’t commute long distances. First responders might speed down the road in emergencies, but not in their own vehicles, and they tend not to work from 9 to 5 “which means that they’re at lower risk for accidents.”

Discounts vary by occupation, insurance company, and state. Some companies offer discounts for a long list of occupations and professions, while others provide them to only a few, or none at all. Some jobs receive larger discounts than others.

Rules for discounts also vary by field. To qualify for one company’s discount, health care providers must have a license to practice, as well as a degree. However, policyholders who have earned at least a bachelor in engineering, math, or science qualify for an 18% discount, even if they work in other fields.

Your occupation or profession might well entitle you to a substantial discount on your Auto insurance even if you’re retired.